Resolutions: Man's and God's
'Ready Answer' by Ronny H. GrahamWith the new year invariably come New Year's resolutions—and days or weeks later, a great deal of failure in keeping them! The idea of making resolutions to improve oneself is commendable, but we should carefully consider the kind of resolutions we make. Ronny Graham suggests that we take up godly resolutions, so that we …
Choosing the New Man (Part Three)
Article by Charles WhitakerWho or what is the new man? Charles Whitaker explains that the new man is Jesus Christ Himself, living in us by His Spirit!
Choosing the New Man (Part Two)
Article by Charles WhitakerThe spiritual new man is one who is reconciled to God and has chosen to collaborate with Him in creating a totally new mind—one just like Christ's!
Why We Must Put Out Leaven
Article by Earl L. Henn (1934-1997)Why must we put leaven out, yet we do not have to circumcise our boys? Earl Henn explains this apparent contradiction.
Are We Ready for Change?
Article by Bill OnisickThe apostle Paul describes the Christian life as a process of change: from the old man to the new man. Human beings, though, typically resist change because it is difficult. Bill Onisick provides advice on how we can make the process of change more organized and perhaps a bit easier too.
New Year's Resolutions
Sermonette by Ronny H. GrahamNew Year's resolutions fail because they are too unrealistic or too many. If we set spiritual goals like many set New Year's resolutions, we will fail.
Highly Skilled Overcomers
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh, recapping the essentials of Cal Newport's book, So Good They Can't Ignore You, affirms that following our passions can be dangerous career counsel unless we put the concept in context. Following our passions only applies if we invest the career capital to perfect our craft, honing our skills so that other …
Sin and Overcoming (Part 3): The Battle For Eternal Life
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsMartin Collins, reflecting on an incident years ago when a member of God's church exclaimed 'I don't mind being Laodicean; they are part of God's church too,' felt an inward horror that one would not mind remaining lukewarm and subject to being vomited out. The Laodicean temperament falls seriously short in promoting the …
The Burden of Sin
Sermon by Charles WhitakerThe Scriptures prove that Christ alone bears our sins and takes them from us; we have no power to cast our burdens upon Christ, nor dump sins on the cross.
Deleavening the Home
Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh[Editor's note - Audio Quality improves at 5m30s] Richard Ritenbaugh, reflecting on the spring cleaning associated with deleavening, reminds us that God is a God of order, sustaining and upholding all things, and encourages us to clean, maintain, dress and keep, improving what He has given us. As God's creation, He works to make …
Themes of I Corinthians (Part 4)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWhile most of the world's Christians understand the sacrificial theme of the Passover, they fail to grasp the knowledge of actively overcoming sin, largely because of the concepts of 'free' grace and 'unconditional' forgiveness taught by Protestant theologians. They forget the covenantal aspect of our relationship with God; …
To Test You
Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)John Reid warns of an impending time when Satan will provide us a "test act" to determine whether we will conform to the image of the Beast or face grave, life-threatening consequences. Likewise, God the Father and Jesus Christ have also provided a "test act" determining whether we will stay loyal to God's …
Our Affinity to Christ
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughOur lives must be totally wrapped up in Christ, exemplifying His character. As we overcome, taking the same steps as Christ did, we will receive His reward.
Forgiving, Giving, and Living
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsMartin Collins, assessing Paul's admonition that God's people be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1-2), acknowledges that God possesses three non-transmittable attributes: omnipotence (being all-powerful), omnipresence (existing everywhere at once), and omniscience (knowing everything). These attributes will never become …
Leadership and Covenants (Part Twenty-Two)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh, acknowledging that most professing Christians are aware of the New Covenant, cautions us not to fall prey to the insidious error that much of the Protestant—especially the evangelical—world teaches. The error lies in misconstruing the significance of the New Covenant as a 'free pass into Heaven' …
A Time to Throw Away
'Ready Answer' by David F. MaasMany of us are pack-rats, saving everything for years until we have collected a mass of—well, junk. This is like accumulated sin—and it is time to get rid of it!
Clothing, Wineskins, and Wine
'Ready Answer' by David C. GrabbeThe Parable of the Cloth and the Wineskins concludes a much longer narrative. The context and reveals deeper meanings and applications of the parable.
Real Conversion
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh contends that conversion, like salvation is a process that begins at a particular event in time (after our repentance, baptism, and receiving of God's Holy Spirit) but requires a maturing period in which we, using God's Holy Spirit, mortify the flesh and produce fruit. The process of conversion is actually …
Eternal Security (Part 2)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh reiterates that God is a working God, creating holy, righteous, divine character with the goal of recreating man in His image. From the time of our justification until our glorification in God's Kingdom, it almost seems 'downhill,' with sanctification being a difficult road. Works are not only required during …
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Three)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn Colossians 2:16 and Galatians 4:9-10, Paul was warning against mixing Gnostic asceticism and pagan customs with the keeping of God's Sabbath and Holy Days.
Magic Doesn't Work (Part Three)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh, reiterating that in physical and spiritual creation, God does not wave a wand, but does a great deal of work. Likewise, in our repentance, there is a great deal of reciprocal effort between God and us. In the stories of Star Wars, the X-Men, or Harry Potter, the protagonist does not grow in character, but …
In Him Was Life
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughAlthough we have physical-chemical existence, we do not yet have God's quality of life. The key quality of eternal life is a vibrant relationship with God.
Are You Dissipating Your Own Energy?
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWe need to be on guard against dissipating our energy, becoming over-immersed in activity and busyness to the point of losing overall effectiveness.
Abraham (Part 8)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughIf we surrender to God, allowing Him to shape character in us, He will enable us to live in hope, giving us direct access to Him, giving us a more abundant life.
